End Up Together
by AuthorSarahC
Summary: Maria is coming to the end of her stay at the villa. A ONE-SHOT, will she profess her feelings for Georg? Will he return them? And how will Max help these two figure out right where they belong..
1. Chapter 1

**Summary:** A ONE SHOT! This is a just a fun one-shot story that I couldn't get out of my head. It came into my idea after listening to the song Drop in The Ocean by Ron Pope, Please check it out if you haven't. Maria is getting ready to leave the villa to become a teacher. Will she profess her real feelings? Will the Captain return them?

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own TSOM or any of the characters.

 **"I Was Praying That You & Me Might End up Together"**

The frost was just beginning to settle upon the crisp autumn leaves as Maria clutched her arms for warmth. The early September morning bringing a distant chill in the air from the north. She sat; quite still, lost in the thoughts of the summer. A summer now fleeting as the seasons changed. There was so much more that she wanted to do, so much more that she needed to say. The last few months, felt like days, and in retrospect she hated the thought that it had all ended so fast.

The sound of the children's sobs brought a shiver down her spine and she shook her head trying to block out the memory. As she sat upon the bench, outside of the abbey, waiting for the bus to take her to the train station, she knew something felt unsettled. But her job was done, wasn't it? She had said goodbye to the children. As the eyes of those seven children, _her_ seven children started back at her pleading, she couldn't explain to them why she couldn't stay; especially not with _him_ there.

Surely, it was all she could do not to look him in the eyes again. _Georg_. She had done everything she could and she knew it. So why did she feel as if leaving was some big mistake? The Reverend Mother told her to follow her dreams, to seek the life she was born to live. And she had, or rather had attempted, to fight for the life she thought she wanted.

The red creeping in her cheeks was proof enough of the embarrassment she endured. How could she have read the situation so wrong? She thought that he was in love with her; she thought that she was in love with him. But as she confessed, her deepest feelings, confronting that which scared her the most, she realized she was so very wrong. Closing her eyes against the wind she allowed her mind to drift back, one last time to the memory. Once she was in Vienna, once she began teaching, she swore herself she'd never look back.

 _The children were more anxious than usual that night. The summer was coming to an end, and with things going better than ever with their father, Maria knew the anxiety would grow as her departure came closer. She wanted to speak to Georg, she wanted to tell him how she felt, and she wanted to hear him tell her how he felt. She could see it in his eyes as they sat in the drawing room near the fire and she read to him. She could hear it in his tone when she had fallen out of the tree and cut up her arm that day._

 _He broke off his relationship with Elsa days after the rowboat incident, she knew when something changed between him and the children, and it too changed between them. She wasn't drawing conclusions out of no-where as she initially thought. Even the Reverend mother agreed. She had asked to meet with Maria a week before her conclusion with the Von Trapp's to see what she had learned and she couldn't have been happier._

 _It seemed Maria the unorthodox orphan and Captain Von Trapp the grieving widow found in one another what they were lacking. Her, the order and family she desired; him the livelihood and love he craved. It was never something the Reverend mother had considered would happy, but it seemed God had his plan, just as she always trusted._

 _So a week to the day before her departure she was sitting in the ballroom next to him at the Piano. The glorious Pachelbel's canon in D strumming effortless from his fingers, and she knew for sure, in that moment, she would follow him anywhere. As the song concluded, he left the bench, walking over to the gramophone to replay the song without his accompaniment, and reached for her hand._

 _As he glided her along the ballroom, their feet skated across the floor like silk, and as her hair swayed behind her; she could swear they were floating. The ivory silk of her long dress swaying delicately, as the end of August warmth drifted through the open doors. But as the song concluded, she leaned in gently, searching his eyes for permission. The warmth blue emanating into hers, piercing her heart and while she saw no indication he would pull away, she sensed a fear she had never seen before._

 _But she felt it too, the fear, and leaned in, to kiss him softly on the lips. His arms, secured her in a tight embrace, and when he pulled back, she blurted out, quite abruptly, the two words she never thought she'd utter in her lifetime._

 _"Marry me."_

 _She wasn't sure what her say it. Surely she could have started with something far less committal, such as professing her love, but something inside her couldn't help it. The way he looked, the way his lips felt on hers, the stillness of the moment. She knew; deep down in her heart that there was no questions as to what she wanted. She didn't need him to be the one to say it; she just needed to know he would._

 _But she felt, ever so slowly, his fingers unclench from her waist, as he stepped back in silence, dumbfounded. His mouth opened slightly, but he did not speak. It seemed like hours, and part of her was screaming to take it back, but she couldn't. It was evident what her heart wanted, and she knew that if this was what God had intended, than this moment, this blurting admission was what was supposed to happen._

 _"Maria, I…" he began, looking her up and down, hoping that she'd open her mouth to say something, some sort of explanation to change her mind. But when she didn't, he continued. The look in her eye was like a dagger in his chest, and he knew he couldn't make her wait any longer._

 _"I'm truly sorry, but I won't, … I, I. can't." he said, turning and leaving her standing there._

The next week was spent with them having minimal conversations, there was nothing more than pleasantries of "good evening," and "good morning" spoken. If it had been for needing to enjoy every last moment with the children, she would have left that night. How could she have been so stupid to believe that someone like _him_ would love someone like _her?_

Hearing a motor roaring it's way towards her, she opened her eyes looking towards the vehicle. But her shoulders slumped when she realized it was one she didn't recognize, and not the bus she'd been waiting for.

It stopped in front of her, but on the opposite side of the road.

"My dear, what in the world do you think you're doing?" Max said, walking over to greet her.

"I'm going to Vienna Max," she stated rather bluntly.

"Well that is obvious, but what not even so much as a goodbye to your Maxy?" she teased, trying to ease the tension thick enough to cut through ice.

"Max, I'm sorry!" she began, immediately realizing she hadn't even said goodbye to the person who had become such a great friend to her over the summer. "But, it's just.. I need to go, because well, my time here is up." She offered weakly, not wanting to explain the situation.

"hmm. Well, if you'd really like to go be in Vienna, I will respect your decision, but there's something you need to see first my dear."

"But my bus is coming in an hour, and I need to catch the train tonight."

"Dear, if you come with me, I promise I will get you to Vienna personally tomorrow. But you need to come with me first, please." He offered, motioning back towards the car.

"I don't want to go back to the Villa Max," she began, but he shook his head.

"Well good, because I wasn't planning on taking you there." He said, smiling and reaching his had out.

After what seemed like hours and hours of driving in silence Maria finally turned to Max, needing to break the silence.

"So, where are we going exactly?" she asked, feeling that he probably wasn't going to give her a true answer.

"A small elite club. Brandy drinkers, musical performers, that sort of thing," he said, knowing what sort of reaction he'd get.

"What! Max!" she cut in, suddenly annoyed and more confused then ever.

"I'll keep up my end of the promise if you keep up yours!" he offered cheerfully.

She sunk into her seat reluctantly, crossing her arms like a small child, until Max spoke again, causing her to sit up immediately.

"So you told him you loved him huh?" Max asked, as plainly as if he was asking about the weather.

"What?" she questioned, mortified that he obviously had some idea what had happened.

"Well, you didn't want to leave, he didn't want you to leave, so something my dear, must have happened." He said.

"Oh, he did want me to leave, I can promise you that."

"So you did!" Max smiled, glad his assumptions were correct. " And you Promise, huh? And what makes you so sure?

"I didn't! Well.. not exactly anyway. I um, .. proposed marriage I guess?" she said, now realizing how utterly insane the entire idea was. She wasn't sure why she was choosing to relive it with Max now, but he seemed to be willing to listen at least.

"Oh that a girl!" he smirked, "I knew you were feisty but that, wow!" he laughed.

"Well it doesn't matter now, I've ruined everything," she said, more to herself than him.

"Maria, who was the first woman that Georg ever loved?" Max asked rather seriously, as they parked, and began walking into a dark cigar smelled room.

"Agathe." She answered, attempting to follow Max to the back of the room, and maneuver past the various gentlemen soaking themselves in brandy.

"And where did Agathe go? Is she here?" he asked,

Maria shook her head, not understanding the stupidity of the question.

"Well, heaven of course." She stated, rather obviously.

"So, she …"

"Left?" Maria responded, still not following his reasoning.

"Exactly. And after you professed your feeling, whether you said them or not, a proposal of marriage makes them clear, you…?"

"Left?" she responded, but quickly defended herself, "but only because he told me that he can't, .. that he won't." She said, taking her seat and removing her coat.

"Max what are we doing here?" she offered, but before he could answer, a man appeared on stage at the microphone.

"We have a regular here tonight, to preform a new piece of music he's composed and penned. Put your hands together for the lone vt"

"Who is the lone vt?" Maria whiskered, leaning into Max, but before he could answer, the shot light shone upon the piano, and a deep baritone voice she'd know anywhere, cut through the room crystal clear.

 _A drop in the ocean,_

 _A Change in the weather,_

 _I was, praying that you and me might,_

 _End up together._

 _It's like wishing for rain,_

 _As I stand in the desert,_

 _But I'm holding you closer, than most,_

 _Cause you are my, heaven._

 _I don't want to waste the weekend_

 _If you don't love me pretend_

 _A few more hours then it's time to go_

 _And as your train rolls down the east coast_

 _I wonder how you keep warm_

 _It's too late to cry_

 _I'm too broken to move on_

 _And still I can't let you be_

 _Most nights I hardly sleep_

 _Don't take what you don't need from me_

 _It's just a drop in the ocean_

 _A change in the weather_

 _I was praying that you and me might end up together_

 _It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert_

 _But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my heaven_

 _Misplaced trust and old friends_

 _Never counting regrets_

 _By the grace of God I do not rest at all_

 _And Austria as the leaves change_

 _The last excuse that I'll claim_

 _I was a boy who loved a women like a little girl_

 _And still I can't let you be_

 _Most nights I hardly sleep_

 _Don't take what you don't need from me_

 _It's just a drop in the ocean_

 _A change in the weather_

 _I was praying that you and me might end up together_

 _It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert_

 _But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my_

 _Heaven doesn't seem far away anymore, no no_

 _Heaven doesn't seem far away_

 _Heaven doesn't seem far away anymore, no no_

 _Heaven doesn't seem far away, oh oh_

 _A drop in the ocean_

 _A change in the weather_

 _I was praying that you and me might end up together_

 _It's like wishing for rain as I stand in the desert_

 _But I'm holding you closer than most 'cause you are my heaven_

 _You are my heaven_

"Do you get it now Maria my dear?" Max whispered, as the song was concluding. "He's a fool, a scared, petrified fool, but he's a fool, who loves you."

As the sound concluded, the room erupted with applause, the men breaking only briefly from the cigars and brandy to offer congratulatory response for another breathtaking arrangement from a strange man they've come to admire. And when he stood up to bow, his eyes locked, with only one set piercing blue, so vibrant it mirrored only his own, and his heart stopped.

 **Note:** Please Review and let me know what you think! I altered a few of the lyrics just so it fit the story, but not many. Please check out "Drop in the Ocean" By Ron Pope! It's a great song.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary:** So this was originally intended to be a one-shot but some of you really wanted a second half to see what was going to happen next. I did my best to write this chapter so you could have an ending. Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading it! And thank you to everyone who has reviewed thus far. This picks up exactly when Georg notices Maria in the back of the bar, and realizes she just heard " _his"_ song.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own TSOM or any of the characters.

 **"** **How Could You do it…. So Easily?"**

 _["Do you get it now Maria my dear?" Max whispered, as the song was concluding. "He's a fool, a scared, petrified fool. But he's a fool, who loves you."_

 _As the sound concluded, the room erupted with applause, the men breaking only briefly from their cigars and brandy to offer congratulatory response, for another breathtaking arrangement from a strange man they've come to admire. And when he stood up to bow, his eyes locked, with one set so piercing blue, so vibrant, it matched only his own, and his heart stopped. ]_

" _Maria_ " he mumbled, a single word forcing itself out into the smoky air like a breathless whisper. Straining his eyes to see, he blinked quickly, hoping his sight had not forsaken him. Though each time his eyelids opened and focused through the smoke, she was once again revealed to be standing there like a silhouette in the smog. She possessed a beautiful vulnerability and evident shock which radiated off of her body like heat, and just as he stepped to walk towards her, she grabbed something off the table and was gone.

It was only then, as he attempted to shift behind wooden chairs, and oversized belligerent men still applauding his performance, that he noticed Max.

"Max, stop her!" he yelled, undoing his coat now caught upon a stool. As he maneuvered through the crowd, he nodded briefly to their thanks, and was breathless by the time he finally reached Max in a panic. "Why didn't you go after her?" he questioned, irritated at the relaxed demeanor his friend exuded.

Max shook his head, reaching into this pocket to show a pair of keys dangling.

"She wouldn't have gotten far I'd think, considering she grabbed the wrong key," he offered, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, who do you think brought her here? Seriously Georg enough of the pleasantries; you let her go once already, I think it's time to show her you're not one to repeat past mistakes," he added, motioning towards the door.

Georg took a deep breath, feeling once again that familiar fear rush up from the floor boards into his feet. It had happened that night when she proposed marriage. While for some men it would have bruised their ego and they would've said no on principle, for him it wasn't an issue. The fact that she was the rare breed of woman who would consider such an orthodox ritual, made him love her all the more.

Starring into the dimly lit backroom he willed is feet to move. But he didn't know if he could do this again.

"What if I lose her?" he whispered, more so to himself than to Max. However, Max answered without hesitation, providing him with the wisdom he needed most in that moment.

"My dear friend, you're a fool. You already _did_ lose her. You've spent the last week in complete and utter misery. The children notice it, the staff, and even me. You're either soaked in alcohol, or sleeping on the sofa in your study. You sit in her seat at the table; you walk past her room at all hours of the night; don't think the redness under your eyes in the early mornings haven't been evident too. You act as if, she did pass on and she's only been a mere twenty minutes away. But now she's on her way to Vienna and-"

"Vienna? What!" he sneered, taking his first step towards the door.

"Well yes, she's taken a position teaching there, and she'll be hours away soon. The chances of either of us finding her again are slim. The way she looked at you tonight Georg, it tells me you might have a second chance, but only get one, now go!" he yelled, motioning towards the doorway.

Georg didn't hesitate another moment and began rushing towards the backdoor. After all Max was right, this past week had been a living hell. There was only one other time in his life he could remember being so irrevocably broken. What was the point of pushing her away because he might lose her someday, when the pain of losing her now, had annihilated his sanity and disintegrated his soul?

"Maria!" he called out into the darkness, waiting for the white fog of his breath to clear from his line of vision. Scanning out in all directions it wasn't until he turned towards Max's car that he saw her sitting on the hood, sobbing into her hands.

Hearing his voice her sobbing became muffled by the sharp intake of breath. The cold air was cutting at her lungs, and her otherwise pale hands were now spider webbed and purple, trembling from the numbness they endured.

"NO!" she called out, unable to formulate anything better to say. The cold air was clouding her judgement, however the anger and shame that began pulsated from her chest began to warm her quickly. "You don't get to see me cry now, how dare you!" she snapped, turning her back on him as she watched him approach her, ignoring her pleas to be left alone.

"Please, at least take this," he almost whispered as he approached her slowly. His head was hung down in shame unable to look at the pain he had inflicted on her, on both of them, and he held his coat out towards her wearily.

She turned her head over her should and saw his arm extended towards her, his head turned down in cowardice. Although the logical side of her brain was willing her body to take it, she knew she couldn't. There was no way she could let him rescue her now. As she shivered slightly, she turned back around towards him, her sapphire eyes a deep blue as the tears rushed down. She just stood there while she sobbed silently, willing him to see all the pain he inflicted. The hot tears streaming down her face began warming her cheeks slightly; if he was unwilling to leave, then he may as well suffer too. But his eyes stayed glued to the ground.

"And somehow I'm the one who is supposed to be understanding throughout all of this!" he scoffed, when he finally met her eyes.

He looked at her confused, but stayed mute and she continued,

"I'm supposed to swallow the pain, the humiliation, and the heartache, because you are hurt, and damaged and broken. Because you lost someone that you love, I'm supposed to say that what you did to me, was okay…" she trailed off, losing her voice once again to the tears welling up behind her eyes. The back of her throat ached, as if it was clamping shut, and a warm throbbing pulsed as she tried to swallow her sorrow.

"But I did lose someone Maria, please, if you would let me try to explain, if you could just try to understand," he offered logistically. How could she ever believe he would intentionally hurt her?

"I've been hurt in ways you have no way of understanding. It's not worse or better, it's different. But the point is Georg, I've been hurt too, broken down to my core, and I've never once done to you what you did to me!" she defended, as she turned past him walking away.

How could she forgive him? It took everything in her to open up to him and profess her love, because she wasn't sure she had ever actually _been_ loved in her life. Then, he shot her down all the while he was lying to her.

"Where are you going!" he yelled, chasing after her. Though he wasn't' entirely sure what she was accusing him of, it made him extremely defensive. Lord knows he was already so vulnerable. He had just unintentionally poured out his longing, his heart, and his soul to her.

"What exactly have I done to _you?"_ he challenged "You can go ahead and tell me what a horrible father I am, how I don't know my children, how I treat my staff poorly, how I'm a rude person, and all of that is excusable somehow? So, please tell me what exactly **_I_** _did to_ _ **you**_ that was so awful. The last time I checked, you're the one who decided to leave and break the hearts of eight people!" he screamed, losing his temper.

She inhaled sharply, feeling his blow, turned back immediately and without thinking smacked him directly across the face. Her hand began stinging instantly from her inflicted blow, as did her heart as his words struck her in return.

Georg stood their speechless, immediately regretting using the children against her. It reached a level so low he didn't even think he was capable of reaching, and he knew he deserved her reaction.

"Maria, I'm…" he began, unsure of how to apologize for everything. He knew he was the only person in the world that could push her to her breaking point, and it was something he never meant to take advantage of.

"How could you do it… so easily?" she whimpered, her shoulders dropping in defeat. "How could you pretend that you don't love me?"

Georg went to open his mouth, but when she continued he fell silent, knowing that she needed to finally reveal the damage inside her heart.

"I asked you to marry me, and when you said no, I thought… and I left, and you just .. you let me go? But then Max shows up, and your song, a song that you wrote, … it makes it sound like you're very much in love with me?" she rambled, almost as if she was trying to make sense of everything that had happened out loud, revealing all of the thoughts bouncing around her head and releasing them into the night air for him to see and feel.

"Maria, I'm very much in love with you," he offered with certainty. How could she ever think that he didn't love her? While it was clear he refused her proposal of marriage, it was out of fear, not a lack of reciprocation.

"Why should I be with someone who doesn't love me _enough_ to stop me from walking away forever? Georg, I know you've been hurt, but there were so many other things you could have said, that you could have done. You could have told me you loved me, or that you have feelings for me, but that you couldn't marry me. But you did nothing, you just walked away and you let me walk out of your life forever, out of the children's lives. If Max wouldn't have brought me here, we never would have seen one another again. Don't I deserve more than that? Don't I deserve a love deeper than someone who loves me when I'm _there_? Wasn't I worth pushing through the pain for?"

Georg head began to race, his palms now soaked with sweat against the icy cold air. He was losing her and he knew it. She was slowly but surely talking herself out of ever being with him and the worst part was, that he was starting to agree with her. Why couldn't he of just given her some indication of his feelings, why couldn't he have at least just asked her to stay? His fear paralyzed him to a degree he never thought possible for a brave Naval hero, and it was about to cost him the woman he loved again. So Georg Von Trapp, did the only thing he could do, he decided to stop thinking, stop planning, stop strategizing, and just act.

"You should be with me, because even though you're quite definitely right, and you do deserve far better, I'm the one for you Maria Rainer".

She paused, confused by his new line of conversation. This man was so infuriating, one minute challenging her, the next bringing her to her knees with that authoritative yet compassionate tone that only he possessed.

"I'm not going to do things at the right time, I'm not going agree with you that music is more important than history, or that Bach is better than Mozart, or that the children should be given more playtime, or that Liesl should be dating by now, and your right, I could have possibly lost you forever", he said, stopping briefly to allow the reality of that to sink in for both of them.

"But Maria, that doesn't change the fact that I'm the right man for you, the only man for you. It's **my** touch that makes your skin tingle, _as he pulled her hands into his,_ It's **my** voice that soothes your fears, _and he leaned in closer to her,_ It's **my** embrace that stills your beating heart, _as he pulled her chilled body into his warm embrace,_ It's **my** lips that speed your blood, and make your stomach flutter", _he tilted her chin and without asking for permission kissed her deeply._

He felt her lean into his slow sensual kiss, and pulled her closer. After what felt like an eternity he pulled back, and gazed into her eyes,

"These things", he said as he pulled away softly, looking into her eyes, "And this feeling," he said as he placed his hand over her heart, "they're beyond our control. But Maria, I'm more in love with you than anyone has ever been in love with anyone. I am a stubborn ass, and evidently maybe even a coward," he admitted coyly as he smirked, she smiled in return gazing down towards the ground, "but forever Maria, I am yours, if you'll have me."

Note: Thank you for everyone that reads this! Please let me know what you thought, and if there was too much angst. !


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